With the laid back, surf rock band, Whitley playing in the larger front room, The Scare were able to secure the smaller and perhaps more intimate back room. The Scare quite predictably, had a younger, and to a small extent, trendier following than the generally older and slightly relaxed crowd that turned out for Whitley. Attendance numbers were a little disappointing, and by the time The Scare played, the room was only just over half full. To open for them they had Melbourne rock/art outfit, Jack Lantern, who were a curious little exploration of music to say the least. With a backing drum track, and musicians that would only occasionally strum their instruments, they relied heavily on reverb and the soft, floating vocals of frontman Tim Rogers (not of You Am I fame!). Art can come in all shapes and forms, and although Jack Lantern was initially intriguing, and did display some technical musical talent, they quickly became a little boring and are probably more of an acquired taste.
The Scare however were everything an experienced and talented rock n roll should be. Front man, Kiss, abandoned the stage right from the first song, preferring to dance and gyrate his way among the crowd with the fervour and charisma that could be compared to the late Michael Hutchins. Their set mainly comprised of songs off their new album, Oozevoodoo. In a time where a number of bands seem a little lost for musical direction The Scare seem to have clear indication of where they have come from and where they are heading. Their sound came off as at times gritty, tinny and always highly danceable, almost reminiscent of say, Iggy and The Stooges. Each of The Scare seem to have very individual personalities and this comes through in their live show, where each of them is able to bring something unique to the band. Crowd pleaser, “No money” went over a treat with the small, but appreciative crowd, although sadly the crowd seemed just as broke as them, and while they were happy sing along to the lyrics, they could only afford to throw “golden chocolate” toward the stage. There’s some obvious standouts in their set, courtesy of their new album and songs like “I Saw Destruction” and “Cry” are not only fiercely rock n roll, they are highly danceable. In short this is a world class band that consistently plays world class performances, and it seems a bit of shame that there wasn’t stronger support for one of our own home grown bands.
